Chronicles of Wanderer
Hunter's Moon
By Michael Weyer
Based on an storyline by Tim Knight
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all rights and properties owned by Mutant Enemy
Highlander, all rights and properties owned by Rysher Entertainment
Steve St Wolf, Randi and Brian Jessup and the Wandererverse created by Steve Pantovich
Shaw Hunter, Ulric Johannson and Jessica created by Tim Knight
Robin Goodfellow, Liam Danahure, Zev Mundac, Matthew Conners, Megan Maguire, Alice
Fairchild, Perry Leiter, Valerie Rosthon, Kyra Saunders and Jesse Manoau are my own creations
and belong to me.
SPOILERS:
1. Buffy died fighting the Master in Season 1 and became Immortal.
2. Buffy's death triggered Kendra as the Slayer. When Kendra was badly wounded, Faith was
called as a Slayer. Kendra is not dead and Faith is not evil.
3. Joyce Summers is alive and is a foster mother for Kendra and Faith.
4. Jenny Calendar was not killed by Angelus and is engaged to Rupert Giles.
5. Amy Madison is not a rat, nor evil.
6. Jenny, Willow, Cordelia and Amy are Amazons, blessed with fighting abilities by the Greek
Goddess Artemis.
7. Xander, Giles, Oz, Larry and Shaw carry equal empowerments from Robin Goodfellow.
8. Zev Mundac lives in Sunnydale, working as teacher at the college and helping run Joyce's
antiques shop while dating her.
9. Dawn Summers is the Key, a powerful source of energy made into human form with
everyone's memories altered to accept her. Only the Eternals (Robin, Liam, Artemis, etc) know
the truth and are keeping it quiet.
Tim came up with this idea and we traded a lot of e-mails on it. I feel it's only right that I bring his vision to life. I hope to do him proud. This is more his work than mine. Hope you enjoy.
Part one: In which a new term begins and some new faces are assigned to visit.
Joyce Summer's Home
Sunnydale, CA
September 6th, 1999
0729 Hours PST
Joyce Summers had come to the conclusion that the duties of the Slayer were nothing
compared to the duties of a mother to three Slayers and another teenager.
She was in the middle of her kitchen, in a nice dress, a phone pressed against her ear while
she tried to handle the three pans cooking on the stove. "Yes...yes, I understand but can you...yes
I'll hold," she sighed, mixing some eggs together on one plate.
Dawn Summers entered the room, clad in a pair of jeans and a low-cut shirt that showed
off a bare belly, her brown hair nicely brushed behind her. She looked to the occupants of the
table. Her sister Buffy was wearing a nice mini-skirt and light blouse that went well with her
atlhetic form. Kendra was clad in a dark pair of slacks and purple top, her braided hair pulled back
in a ponytail. "You two seem pretty okay with going back to school," Dawn stated.
"Benefits of college life," Buffy said with a smile as she bit into a piece of bacon. "We
don't have to worry about a strict class schedule."
"Indeed," Kendra stated. "Our days are far less restrictive than------"
"GANGWAY!" Faith Pryce yelled as she burst into the kitchen. Her dark hair was still
wet from a shower, her jeans and tight shirt obviously just thrown on and she appeared out of
breath. She grabbed a waiting glass of orange juice, downing it as she took a handful of bacon and
started to chow down on it.
"Guess you shouldn't have killed the alarm, huh, Faith?" Buffy asked.
"Shut up!" Faith mumbled through a mouth of food.
"So, you can do that? Tomoorow? Excellent!" Joyce said through the phone. "No, no, my
partner will have the paperwork. Thank you very much." She switched the cordless off and turned
to the others. "Okay, I'm almost ready to-----" She stopped as she gazed at her younger daughter.
"Dawn, where are you going?"
"Um, school?" the teen asked in confusion.
Joyce shook her head. "Not dressed like that you're not. I am not having you show up at
school dressed like something out a music video."
"Mom..." Dawn whined.
Joyce simply pointed upstairs and with a sigh, Dawn turned to walk off. Buffy smiled at
Kendra. "Told you."
Kendra shrugged. "I would have thought living with Faith would have eased Joyce's
intolerance for trampy outfits."
Faith just glared as she wolfed down her breakfast. Buffy smirked at Kendra. "Notice how
she's not being so cocky about me being a freshman again?"
Apartment of Oz Green
0737 Hours PST
As Willow's eyes opened, she saw the man she loved lying next to her, propping his head
up one elbow as he looked at her. "What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing," Oz replied. "I just love watching you sleep."
"I would have thought you'd love to see me in other situations," Willow teased as she
kissed him on the lips. She then cuddled into his arms. "I wanna sleep in."
"Can't. Class."
"Wanna sleep in," Willow pouted.
"I thought you wanted to be the bright-eyed for college type."
"You've been a bad influence on me," the redhead sighed as she reluctantly got ready.
Oz smirked. "Hey, at least we're not as bad as Giles and Jenny."
Willow frowned as she face him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, they have to live in the same building underneath Xander and Cordelia," her
boyfriend pointed out. "Imagine how they're starting the morning."
Willow did and then giggled.
Home of Robin Goodfellow
0740 Hours PST
Amy Madison was a vision as she lay on the bed. Her blonde hair fell back on the pillow,
her face serene as her firm chest rose and fell with each breath. It was a sight that Robin
Goodfellow dragged out for as long as he could. Finally, with a glance at the alarm clock, he
snapped his fingers. From all around the bed came the music of "Reville" as if blasted over a THX
SurroundSound system.
Amy sat up with a shriek, her head whipping around. There was another snap of fingers
and the Amazon witch found herself fully dressed as was Robin. At the table by the bed was a
stack of books and a cup of hot coffee.
Amy glared at her boyfriend. "Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"I did," he calmly answered.
Amy sighed. "I meant in a normal way."
"Because it would have taken you too long to shower, get dressed and get your stuff
ready."
"So why didn't you wake me up so I could do all that?!"
Robin smiled. "Because you look beautiful when you're sleeping."
Amy's ire instantly vanished as she moved in and kissed him on the lips. *Damn, I'm
good* the faery thought to himself. *Plus it helps that, unlike Shaw and Liam, we don't have to
worry about cleaning up the house after a night together.*
Sunnydale University
0832 Hours PST
Randi Jessup tapped her pen on her folder as she shuffled in her seat. She wore a nice red
dress with her blonde hair in a ponytail, a nice image for her first day of class. She looked at the
pile of books on her desk and sighed deeply. *Take languages, you said. How bad can the course
work be, you said...*
The door banged open and the twenty-six students in the classroom all looked at the man
who strode in. Randi did as well...and felt a chill go over her. *Oh, God...I thought he was
joking...*
The man plopped his briefcase onto the table, opened it and pulled out a stack of papers.
"Good morning. Welcome to Introduction to Languages. I'm your instructor, Zev Mundac."
He began to hand the packets to each row of students. "Let me make this clear and to the
point right now. Do the work and be on time and you'll do all right. Don't and you'll fail. I am
giving a precise schedule of when assignments are due so I don't expect any attempt at
explanation if you fail to turn them in. Any attempts at plagirism or cheating shall be dealt with
severely." He returned to the desk and faced the room. "I am not going to be an easy mark for
any pity stories or excuses so save them. Anger me and I shall be sure to make your life a living
hell. Trust me, I have my experience in that subject." He smiled. "Let's begin, shall we?"
Steve St. Wolf's Home
1004 Hours PST
On the third ring, Steve St. Wolf picked up the phone and spoke into it. "Hello?"
"Steve? It's Joe Dawson," came the voice on the other end.
"Hey, Joe, what's up?"
"Well, I was wondering if you and the gang might be able to give me a hand with
something."
Steve frowned. "Uh oh. What?"
Joe sighed. "Well, it seems that we've got a problem with one of our Watchers. Valerie
Rosthon, third-generation Watcher. It seems she doesn't believe in the tape we had of what
happened in L.A. and doesn't believe in the Scroll either."
"Oh, shit," Steve muttered. "I take it that means her Immortal doesn't either?"
"Nope. And its Immortals, plural." There was the sound of shuffling papers. "Matthew
Connors. Died for the first time at Bunker Hill. He got a student in 1997, Alice Fairchild, senior in
high school. Mulder and Scully can tell you about them."
"I'll give them a call. Anyone else?"
"Jesse Manoau, 18. Died while surfing last year, didn't know it until this July. Other one is
Kyra Saunders, killed in a mountain climbing accident around the same time. Oh, there's also
Perry Leiter. He's a medical examiner and newbie Watcher."
"So all of them think the Game is still going?" Steve nodded. "Yeah, we need to nip this in
the bud fast. I take it you want us to teach them otherwise?"
"You got it," Dawson confirmed. "They should be there later tonight."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Really? You already called?"
"No. I left that to...someone else."
Matthew Connor's Home
Hastings Bay, MA
1317 Hours EST
Alice Fairchild had never realized how much she had missed having a friend.
It shouldn't have been too surprising she had cut herself off from people. The last time she
had belonged to a group of friends, they had all been killed by the same murderer who made Alice
Immortal. Since then, she had kept mostly to herself with only Matt and Megan to talk to.
However, since Kyra Saunders had entered the Immortal picture, Alice had found herself bonding
with the other teen.
It was ironic considering how dissimaliar the two were. While Alice was athletic and enjoyed
shopping, Kyra was a bit more studious and musically inclined. Even their styles clashed. Alice
was clad in a nice skirt and light blouse, her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Kyra was
wearing a pair of dark jeans and biker-style red top with long sleeves that ended with fabric
wrapping from her wrist and around a couple of her fingers. She sat in a chair in Matt's living
room, lightly strumming a guitar as she looked at a book.
Alice watched her with a frown, her eyes on the book's jacket. "Wicca for Beginners?"
she stated. "I can't believe you're wasting time on that crap."
"It's not crap," Kyra replied as she looked up at Alice. Her lush mane of curly brown hair
framed a pretty face with a sharp nose and deep blue eyes, bangs set over her forehead. "Wicca
has a long history that could be
real. Hell, Immortals and vampires exist, why not magic?"
"Well, why do you want to learn it?" Alice pressed. "What, you want to be a Betwiched
Britney?"
Krya's face fell. "Never compare me to her again."
Both girl suddenly tensed as they sensed another presence. "Saved by the Buzz," Alice
sighed.
Kyra shivered. "God, that is so weird."
"You get used to it," Alice shrugged as they both looked at the doorway as Jesse Manoau
entered. He appeared to be 18, a good looking young man with short dark hair and skin that made
it easier to believe he had been born in Hawaii. He wore a pair of light shorts and a muscle shirt,
showing off the pineapple tattoo on one shoulder. "Ladies," he said as he wiped at his brow with
a towel. "How's it going?"
"Hey, Jess," Alice said. She looked over his sweaty body. "You been working out?"
He nodded. "Yeah, figured it was a good move. Need to stay in shape just in case, right?"
He took a long drink for a bottle of water. Alice noticed that Kyra was watching him out of the
corner of her eye, then turned away as Jesse turned toward her.
"So, Matt still upstairs?" Jesse asked.
Alice nodded. "Yeah. Still don't know what Val and Perry want with him. Sounded
important."
"Great," Kyra said with a sigh. "Just what my life needed, more complications."
"Such is our lot in eternal life," Alice remarked.
It was at that moment that the teacher to the three teens entered the room. Matthew
Connors was clad in a pair of nice slacks and golf shirt, his face serious. Behind him was Valerie
Rosthon, as professional as always in a business skirt, blouse and jacket, her darkish hair in a bun.
Perry Leiter was dressed more casually, with jeans and a Hawiaan shirt and his dark hair.
"So what's the haps?" Kyra asked.
Matthew shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. Some bigwig from the Watchers is supposed
to be coming by later."
"What about?" Alice asked.
"I don't know," Valerie admitted. "But I don't like it. They rarely pay personal calls unless
it's important."
Matthew snorted. "Maybe they've put together a special edition of that videotape."
"Yeah," Alice threw in. "Maybe now we've got big monsters and people flying around in
it."
"You think they know you don't believe in the Scroll?" Jesse asked with concern.
"I don't see how," Valerie answered. "Even if they do, I don't think it'll be a real serious
matter."
"And you'd be wrong, Rosthon," a deep voice cut through the room. Everyone turned to
see a tall man striding into the room, dressed in the uniform of the United States Navy, the bars of
an Admiral on his shoulder. He crossed his arms, the light seeming to gleam a bit off his balding
head. "Admiral James Chegwidden," he introduced himself. "Senior Watcher for East Coast
military operations."
"How did you get in here?" Matt demanded.
"I'm a military Watcher, we've got means," Cheggwidden said. He turned his hard gaze
on Valerie. "Rosthon...you are so far up shit creek, your paddle wouldn't make a dent in it."
Valerie opened her mouth but the Admiral plowed on. "You have done a massive
disservice to both the Watchers and your charges with your bullshit games. If it was up to me,
you'd be bounced out on your ass but we're giving you a chance. You six are to pack your bags
and catch the next flight to Sunnydale, California."
Valerie frowned. "Sunnydale? Why?"
"So you can find out what Watchers are really supposed to do," Cheggwidden snapped.
He looked to the Immortals. "And you can find out what Immortals are supposed to do."
Matthew crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm retired, Admiral. And it was from the
Army, anyway. I don't take orders from you."
Cheggwidden's face glowered. "Then maybe I should call Sgt. Madison Summers."
Matthew raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He's still around? Well, he was a bit of a hard-ass
but I don't see why------"
"You might know him by another name," Cheggwidden interrupted. "Maximus Decimus
Meridas."
There was dead silence as everyone stared at him in shock. "The...the...THE Maximus
Decimus Meridas?!" Perry blurted.
Cheggwidden nodded. "Yep. And trust me, he's not happy about this either and is more
than willing to kick some ass to rectify the situation."
Matt tried to remain calm and looked Cheggwidden in the eye. "Listen, Admiral. I don't
care who you call on or who comes over here. I am not dropping everything to go to California
for some stupid tape and I don't care what you say."
Flight 347 from Boston to Los Angeles
22, 000 feet over the Mid-West
1748 Hours CST
"So, what did the lad say?" Megan Maguire asked as she sat back in her seat. Her lush mane of
curly red hair flowed behind her, accenting her beautiful face. She wore a tight green dress that
accented every curve of her voluptous body, especially her ample chest. She smiled as she sipped
at her glass of wine, her Irish brogue seemingly still hanging in the air.
"You don't want to know," Alice stated, sparing a glance at a sour-looking Matt. He sat
next to Megan in the front, Alice, Jesse and Kyra behind them and Perry and Val were across the
aisle. All of them wore the look of people who still couldn't believe they were going on a trip.
Valerie was staring out the window with a hard expression. "I just can't get over how he
was treating me. Like I was some sort of traitor or something!" She glared at Perry. "And you
weren't exactly jumping to my defense."
Perry raised his hands. "Hey, I'm still low man on the totem pole here. I don't want to
make waves with a senior guy."
"You know, this could be fun," Kyra stated. "I've never been to California. I've got a list
of music clubs in L.A. I wanna check out."
Alice chuckled. "It's the malls for me. Always wanted to shop on Rodeo Drive."
"As for me," Jesse added. "I've gotta find out how West Coast waves stack up against
Hawaii."
Matthew turned and glared at them. "Let's make this clear," he said. "This is not a
sightseeing trip. We didn't choose to do this, we were shoved into it. We are going there,
spending one night to tell these people we don't need them and then coming back."
"Ah, ease up, Matt," Megan stated. "A vacation will do ye good! Been a long time since I
was in California."
"Really?" Jesse asked, honestly curious. "How long?"
Megan thought about it. "Well, let's just say, last time I was there, baseball had yet to
make it to the West Coast."
Jesse's eyes widened. "Wow. That long?"
Megan sat back in her chair. "Ah, it will be nice to get a break from the club. Glad ye
invited me, Matt." She raised her empty glass up. "Barmaiden! A refill, if you will."
An attractive flight attendant came over with a patened false smile on her face which
didn't match her eyes as she leaned in toward Megan. "Miss, you've already had five glasses. We
do have a policy and I'm afraid we can't just-----"
Megan looked her in the eye and the woman's face went slowly blank. "A refill, please,"
Megan stated.
"Sure," the woman said in a flat tone as she took the glass and walked away. Megan
smiled and leaned back in her seat, only to become aware of everyone staring at her. "What?"
Kyra shook her head, leaning back in her seat next to the window. "God, that freaks me
out," she muttered. For someone who had a belief in the supernatural, Kyra simply wasn't
comfortable around the vampire.
Valerie didn't bother hiding her disgust. As someone who had felt Megan's hypnotic
power, she didn't like seeing it used on people. "Was that really necessary?"
"For the price we're paying for these seats, we deserve some perks," Megan defended
herself.
Perry smirked. "Aren't you worried about karmic retribution?"
Megan snorted. "I'm an Irish vampire who doesn't feed on innocent people. I think I've
got karma to spare." She smiled broadly. "Besides, how do you think we got first class anyway?"
Steve St. Wolf's Home
1834 Hours PST
The entire Sunnydale team was gathered in the living room as Steve completed the
explanation of who was coming and why. "So, they should be here in about an hour or so. Any
questions?"
"Yes," Zev spoke up. "Can I skip this?"
Steve glared at him. "This is important, Zev."
"Really, Steven. We all know how this is going to work. You're going to meet and greet
and then bring them into the training room, have the Amazons wipe the floor with the women
while Robin's empowered folks get the men, have a big long laugh at the whole thing, which will
be caught on video. Then, after their looks of shock, you'll go into the long litany of who and
what you all are which will take about twenty minutes, minus confused questions from them. Then
you throw in the inevitable proving that magic exists as well as the smart remarks from Shaw and
Faith and the not at all smart ones from Harris and Chase and let's not forget that at least one of
them will try to punch Steve for being with Buffy. Then there's watching the Guardians shift, me
popping my spikes and showing off my computer and for the grand finale, the half-hour long
litany of just what threats you've all faced and defeated in the last two years."
There was a long silence as everyone stared, impressed by just how much Zev had gotten
out. "Damn, and I thought my wife knew me," Steve murmured.
Zev sighed as he rose up to his feet. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see if Joyce is
interested in having dinner tonight. The less time I spend in the upcoming insanity pit, the better."
He walked off as Faith looked toward Buffy.
"Does he know that Joyce is out shopping with Dawn later?" the brunette asked.
Buffy acted surprised. "Did I forget to tell him that?"
2008 Hours PST
"This is it?" Alice said as she stared at Steve's house. "This is the command center the guy
was talking about?"
Kyra and Jesse both broke out in snickers. Alice stared at them in puzzlement. "What?"
Kyra smiled. "You just said 'command center,' Ranger-Girl."
Alice glowered at them. "Don't start. Okay? Don't even start."
Perry grunted as he pulled at one case in the trunk. "God, Alice, it's only a few days,
what'd you pack?" He tried to pull again but the heavy case didn't budge. Megan lightly pushed
him aside, grabbed the case and, with a slight tug, easily pulled it out and on the ground. She gave
Perry a small nod as she unloaded the rest of the trunk.
Perry looked at Valerie. "You gotta admit, she's handy."
Val just shook her head in disgust as she paid off the driver. She looked around as he
started to drive off. "I have to admit, I am not impressed. For someplace that's supposed to be
filled with demons, this town is pretty quiet."
"That's cause you're not listening right," Megan stated as she gathered up the bags.
"Trust me...this town isn't Mayberry."
Matthew took a step toward the house and then paused as the Buzz overcame him. He
glanced at his charges, seeing they all felt it as well. "At least three Immortals in there, maybe
more," he said in a clipped tone. "I'll take point, Megan, you've got the rear, keep it tight and be
ready to move."
"Remind me never to invite him to a country club," Perry muttered as the group followed
Matthew up the stairs to the porch. Megan let her senses move out, hearing the heartbeats of the
people inside to count how many there were. She paused and took a long sniff with her nose.
*Funny...that almost smells like...naw, it couldn't be...*
The Immortal soldier knocked on the front door, his arm ready to go for his sword if
needed. The door opened to reveal a handsome man looking at them all. "Hi," he said in a friendly
tone. "Steve St. Wolf. I take it you're the group from Hastings Bay?"
Matt nodded. "Matthew Connors, United States Army, retired."
Steve grinned. "Special forces myself. Come on in." He opened the door and one by one,
the group entered.
Jesse was looking around the foyer. "Nice. Guy must do quite well to----" His words were
cut off as a shrieking sound came over their heads. Everyone yelled, and looked around, trying to
identify the noise. They turned to see Megan, having just come over the threshold, clapping her
hands over her ears and wailing at the sound. "What the bloody hell is-----"
She looked up in time to see a dozen weapons from guns to swords to stakes, all aimed at
her direction. "Ah, bloody hell."
Matthew looked to the team as he pointed at Mega. "See, *this* is a real vampire."
Chronicles of Wanderer
Hunter's Moon
By Michael Weyer
Part two: In which meetings and greetings, old and new, are made.
Steve St. Wolf's Home
Sunnydale, CA
2010 Hours PST
"All right, no one move!" Jenny barked, her hands tight on the pistol
she had aimed at
Megan's head.
"I was gonna scratch my nose, is that okay?" Jesse asked. He, Alice,
Kyra, Matthew, Valerie
and Perry were all frozen, staring in wonder as the group aimed weapons at
Megan. The alarms
had cut off and the Irishwoman was shaking her head. "Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, what was that?!"
Shaw scoffed. "A religious vampire. How unique."
Megan glanced at her, her nose twitching. "You...you're not human, are
ye?"
Shaw shook her head. "No. However I am more than capable to deal with the
likes of you."
Megan smiled as she let her eyes rake over the group. "I could have
half of you down before you’ve even realize I moved."
"Try it," Cordelia challenged, hefting up her gun.
"Easy, all," an Irish brogue cut through. The group parted as Liam
pushed his way forward.
"It's ok, lads and lassies. She won't bite."
Megan's eyes widened, as did her smile. "I'll be damned," she murmured.
"Tis you after all."
Liam nodded. "Hello, Megan. Been a while."
"That it has, laddie," Megan replied.
Buffy looked at the way the two of them were staring at one another and
winced. "Oh, God.
Don't tell me, she's------"
"Number 203," Liam casually told her.
Shaw glared at him. "Someday, Liam, I am going to make you write down a
complete list."
Alice looked at Megan. "Megan, you know this guy?"
"We were married once," the vampire off-handedly answered.
That brought quite a few stunned stares from her fellow visitors. "When
was this?" Matthew
demanded.
"Few decades back."
Jesse frowned. "Then...how come he still looks.."
"He's a leprechaun."
Jesse blinked. "Oh. You mean like..." He suddenly shifted his voice to
mock Mike Meyers
as Wayne. "Oh, the leprechaun, the leprechaun, the leprechaun!" His
chuckling was broken by the
icy look on Liam's face.
The leprechaun pointed right at him. "Ye do that again...ye die."
Steve looked to Liam. "Liam...you're saying she's all right?"
"Megan? Sure, lad! She doesn't even feed on innocent people, never
has!" He smiled at
his ex-wife. "Sorry about the greeting but ye wouldn't believe the security
problems these folks
have had."
Slowly, the Sunnydale group lowered their weapons and tried to relax.
"Ok..." Kyra
started. "Now what, rubber hose interrogations? Caning?" She looked at
Alice. "I knew
Californians were nuts already but this..."
Steve sighed and motioned to the living room. "Come on in, we'll try to
explain."
There was a pause as everyone cautiously made their way to the living
room. As they
walked, Kendra looked closely at Alice, then turned to Buffy. "And you
called *me* the Pink
Ranger?"
"Okay," Kyra said as soon as the groups were gathered together. "Just
who are you people?"
Steve crossed his arms and started to motion around the room. "Buffy
Summers, Immortal
Vampire Slayer, bearer of the sword Vampire Slayer. Faith Pryce, Vampire
Slayer. Kendra,
Vampire Slayer." He motioned again to some of the others. "Rupert Giles,
Earl of Leicester,
former curator of the London Museum, empowered Ripper. Jenny Calendar,
Amazon Gypsy.
Willow Rosenburg and Amy Madison, Amazon witches. Oz Green, empowered
werewolf.
Xander Harris, empowered man with the memories of a special forces soldier.
Cordelia Chase,
Amazon Warrior Princess."
He turned to the other side. "Randi Jessup, Immortal wielder of the
sword of Joan of Arc.
Larry Blaisdell, empowered jock. Robin Goodfellow of the Faery Kingdom, NOT
Puck. Liam
Devlin O'Shaunnesgy Patrick Dillion O'Hara Paddywick McHale Thornton
Danahure of the
Leprechaun Glens. Shaw Hunter, alias Shawukay Redarrow, priestess of
Mielikki" He turned to
the group. "And finally, I'm Steve St. Wolf-----"
"Human subtitle machine," Xander interjected.
Megan frowned. "Hold a mo. Steve St. Wolf?"
Steve frowned as well. "You know me?"
"Not personally," Megan stated as she started to tick off her fingers.
"Faberge Egg, June
of '96. German harpsichord, January of '97. Persian Rug, May of '97..."
Steve's eyes widened. "You're that Maguire? Damn, you had good bids
going."
Megan snorted. "The people I hired gave up too easily. If I had been
there, I'd have
gotten it, trust me."
"Remind me to show you the shops downtown before you go..."
"Ah, scuse me," Perry spoke up. "But could we get a little more detail
on that weird-ass
introduction you just did?"
Megan frowned at him. "What? Makes sense to me."
Kyra stared at her, then at Cordelia. "Okay...hold up. Amazons?"
"Yes," Queen C stated. "And if the word lesbian exits your mouth, a
painful death shall
follow."
"Let me get this straight," Perry stated. "You gals are Amazons and
these guys are
empowered by...him," he pointed to Robin. "Who is Robin Goodfellow put not
Puck."
"That's right," the faery said.
Perry thought it over and nodded. "Okay, I believe it."
Valerie stared at him. "You what?!"
"Valerie, no one has the imagination to just make up something like
that," Perry calmly
stated.
Jesse scratched his chin. "Um, I don't want to be rude but aren't
Amazons supposed to be
men-hating lesbians? I thought Artemis hated men."
"Well, that's why it's called myth," Jenny pointed out. "Not all of it
is true."
Alice shook her head in disbelief. "You can't ask us to buy this.
There's no such thing as
magic!"
There was a long pause before Liam glanced to Jenny. "Ye want to handle
this?"
The gypsy let out a slight smile. "I believe this is more inclined to
your type of
grandstanding."
Liam nodded and shared a look with Robin. The two nodded and snapped
their fingers
and six rats were scurrying on the floor around Megan's feet.
Shaw frowned at Liam. "You did not change her?"
Liam gave her a surprised look. "Shaw...she's an Irish vampire."
Shaw pondered that and nodded. "Good point."
Megan looked at the Slayers. "Hold a mo. I thought there could only be
one Slayer."
"Well, I died, so along came Kendra and she nearly died and along came
Faith," Buffy
explained.
"An Irish Slayer?" Megan looked Faith up and down. "Haven't heard of
that one."
"What can I say?" Faith said with a smile. "Can't mess with
perfection."
Megan laughed and looked to Robin and Liam. "Oh, I like her."
The two Eternals snapped their fingers and the newcomers were in human
form, all quite
bewildered by what had happened. "Whoa," Kyra said. "That was....whoa...."
"That's my line," Jesse stated.
Valerie shook her head. "Okay...what was that? Huh? You drug us or
something?"
"It's called magic, lass," Megan said as she took a Cuban cigar out of
her pocket, placed it
into her mouth and lit it.
"Um, those are bad for you," Willow piped up.
Megan looked at her, her eyes briefly turning yellow.
"Oh. Right."
Matt glared at Megan. "Magic? Megan, come on. First the video, now
this?"
Megan frowned. "What video?"
Matthew sighed. "I didn't want to tell you about it because it's so
stupid. It says that
Immortals are supposed to fight demons and vampires but the vamps they had
are nothing like
you."
Megan's eyes widened. "What? Matt, why didn't ye tell me about this?"
Matt blinked. "Why would I tell you such an utterly ridiculous story?"
"Well, I could have told you it was all utterly true."
Alice's jaw dropped. "It what?"
Megan crossed her arms. "Demons are real, Alice. A whole lot of them.
And there's more
than one type of vampire out there." She turned to the Sunnydale group. "The
soulless ones,
right?" She nodded at their confirming looks. "I should have known. They're
a lot more prevalent
than my kind and a hell of a lot nastier."
"Just how do you differ?" Larry asked in honest curiosity."
Megan sat back in a chair as she took out a cigar and lit it. "Well,"
she said as she took in
a long drag and blew out a cloud of smoke. "I've still got a reflection plus
flight, strength, speed
and hypnotism."
"Thank Goddess she didn't say the whammy," Amy muttered.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Valerie snapped. "Are you actually
telling me that this
Scroll thing is for real?"
"It is," Steve told her as he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"And by not
relaying that fact to Matt and the others, you've done some serious damage."
Valerie sniffed. "I'm just trying to uphold the traditions my family
has dedicated itself to. I'm not going to spit on their accomplishments because
someone wanted to end
the Game."
Steve just nodded as he waited for the person on the other end of the
line to pick up.
"Hello? Yes, it's St. Wolf. Yes, she's here. Okay." He handed the phone to
Valerie. With a
baffled look, she took it and spoke into it. "Um...hello?"
"Valerie, I can't begin to express how immensely disappointed I am in
you."
At the strong male voice, Valerie's eyes shot wide open. "DAD?!"
Charles Rosthon went on. "You've always been strong-willed and
independent, Valerie. I
have accepted that and allowed for it. But this has gone beyond the pale.
Regardless of your
personal feelings about the Scroll and the video, you had a duty to inform
your charges of it. It
was something the Council all agreed upon. So by failing to follow that
directive and then
knowingly lying about it for over a year to us is something that shall not
go well for you. Do you
know how many people were demanding you be kicked out? I had to call in
quite a few favors to
prevent that."
"But...Dad..."
"Valerie. The video is real, as is the Scroll. These people can show
you the truth far more
effectively than I can. You will stay there for as long as it takes and I
hope you can put aside this
pride of yours and accept this change. If you can't...well, it may be a
while before I allow you to
come home again. Good-bye." The line went dead as Valerie just stood,
slack-jawed.
"Interesting," Jesse remarked. "Squint a little and she looks a lot
like a carp washed up on
shore."
There was a banging from the front of the house and a minute later, Zev
tromped in with a
sour look on his face. He glared at Buffy, who just smiled sweetly. "You
knew they were
shopping, didn't you?"
"Who, me?" Buffy asked.
"Who's this?" Alice asked.
The man turned to her. "Zev Mundac." He peered at her. "You------"
"I know, I know, the Pink Ranger!" Alice exploded. "Get it out, get it
all out!"
"Who?" Zev asked in confusion.
"The Pink Power Ranger? Mighty Morphin Power Rangers?"
"Never heard of them." Zev was taken aback as Alice suddenly moved in and
hugged him.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Zev looked to the others. "I don't even want to know..."
Perry looked Zev over. "So...just what are you doing here?"
"Oh, such a question," Zev sighed deeply. He looked over the recent
arrivals. "I would
advise you to get out of this town as fast as possible."
"We've been getting that vibe," Jesse told him.
Steve clapped his hands together. "Okay. How about we get down to
business? I think we
should try to hold some sort of patrol schedule tonight. Give these guys a
crash course in how
Sunnydale works."
Jesse leaned in toward Kyra. "Whenever people start talking about you
like you're not
around, it's a bad sign."
"What and turned into a rat wasn't enough of a sign?" Kyra snapped
back.
Steve motioned to the center of the room. "Okay, let's get started."
As the group started to move in, Alice and Kyra both caught sight of
Larry. "Wow," Alice
remarked. "Is he single?"
Faith smirked. "Sorry, honey. He's gay."
"No!" Alice gasped. She turned to Larry. "Are you gay?"
"I'm gay," he confirmed.
"Bastard."
Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Interesting." He turned to Steve. "Guess
he's leaving, huh?"
Steve frowned in puzzlement. "Actually no. He's part of the team."
Matthew snorted. "Oh, please. You're military, St. Wolf. You know as
well as I do that
there's no place in a military unit for gays."
A very long and chilling silence went up as everyone stared at him, the
Hastings Bay
residents showing more shock than the others. "Tell me he didn't just say
that," Alice whispered.
Matthew waved a hand. "I have nothing against gays personally. I just
don't feel they
belong in the military. I need someone I can depend on."
"We depend on Larry," Xander told him.
"Then you're an idiot."
"Loath as I am to disagree with such an excellent judge of Harris’
character..."
"HEY!"
Zev continued. "I must say that this is a rather backward form of
thinking, even for an
Earthling."
Matthew sighed as if tired. "Look, if I'm in a battle, I would rather
not have to worry
about the guy next to me more preoccupied with how I look naked."
"You know," Larry piped up. "I've gone through a lot of misconceptions
about being gay
but the one that pisses me off is what idiot came up with the idea that
being gay automatically
meant I want to sleep with every single guy I see? Do you want to sleep with
every single woman
you see? No, I think not, same concept, let's move on."
Zev glanced at Faith. "He's fast approaching you as my favorite."
Matthew tried to go on. "Listen, I just want to say----" He stopped as
he caught the icy
cold look in Steve's eyes. The Wanderer calmly strode forward and glared at
the other man.
"Listen and listen closely," he bit out in a cold voice. "Larry is on this
team. He's more than proven
his worth to us. I don't give a damn about his sexual preference because
it doesn't play one bit
into how well he fights and what he believes in. I can't stop you from
feeling the way you do but
while you are here, you will not make any disparaging remarks about him, no
slurs, no insults, no
snide jokes and you will not shoot him down because of your own prejudices.
There's no room in
this place for bigots so treat him with respect or I will turn you over to
three people who will
concoct a long and very painful punishment for you."
Matt just stood there, trying to keep his calm in the face of the
verbal assault. Alice looked
to Buffy and grinned. "Can I switch teachers?"
"Sorry," the Slayer laughed. "I saw him first."
"Come on!" Alice half-begged. "You don't know what it's like to hang
with him! We've
been thrown out of a half-dozen ball games because he insists on singing all
five stanzas of 'The
Star-Spangled Banner!'"
Steve frowned. "There's only four stanzas."
"He wrote another one!"
Jesse suddenly started and looked at Zev. "Ah...wait. Did you use the
term 'Earthling?'"
Zev nodded. "I did."
Kyra looked uncertain. "Um...if we're Earthlings...what are you?"
"Reudian. Lovely planet a few dozen light-years away."
Even Megan was taken aback by that revelation. "An..alien?" she
stammered. "You're a bloody
alien?"
"Ye got it, Meggie," Liam said.
"Meggie?" Matt, Alice, Kyra and Jesse said.
"LIAM!"
Shaw smiled at Amy. "I told you I was not the only one who could scream
out his name
like that."
"Great Jurden, change the subject," Zev pleaded.
Perry was staring at him in wonder. "You're a real alien?"
"Actually, from where I stand, you're the aliens," Zev pointed out.
"It's our planet," Matthew was quick to state.
"Old Reudian saying: A race may inhabit a planet. No race can own it."
"I don't believe this," Valerie muttered.
Zev sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "My dear lady," he said in a
sympathetic tone.
"You haven't even plumbed the depths of unbelievable here."
Twenty minutes later, the Hastings Bay group stared in stupefied
wonder at the group,
taking in all they had heard. Kyra slowly leaned in toward Jesse. "Am I high
or are they?"
Valerie shook her head in utter disbelief. "Demon cults, invading
Libya, ninjas from other
dimensions, time traveling, body switches, what's next, you going to another
reality and meeting
your doubles?"
At the bemused looks on their faces, she threw up her hands. "For God's
sake, I was
joking!"
"All right, here's the teams," Steve announced. "Zev, you and Megan can
take the west
side."
Zev stared at Megan, then at Steve. "You're sending me out with an
Irish vampire ex-Mrs.
Danahure?" the alien asked in disbelief. He bent his head forward. "Steven,
there's a small nerve
cluster in between my fourteenth and sixteenth vertebrae. Just give it a
quick twist, it's faster and
far less painful."
"You're not sending him with Shaw?" Amy asked.
"Well, I don't want them feeling inferior," Steve said.
"Then why